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Book review: Berlin Syndrome

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Book: Berlin Syndrome by Melanie Joosten

Reviewed by Lorraine Cormack

 

“Berlin Syndrome” is a challenging book. It’s an uncomfortable read, and yet still I felt it wasn’t quite dark enough for the subject matter.  Not that I’m sure I would have wanted to read something much darker than this…

Clare is backpacking around Europe, and in Berlin she has a one night stand with Andi.  At least, she initially thinks it’s a one night stand; but Andi invites her to stay and she finds herself tempted.  And then she finds herself trapped as Andi keeps her locked in his apartment.  A little isolated from friends and family in Australia as a result of her travel, there is no-one to immediately notice her absence.  Andi becomes increasingly obsessed and borderline violent, and Clare slowly succumbs to Stockholm Syndrome – if she doesn’t exactly sympathise with her captor, she certainly begins to cooperate.

A strength of the novel is that Joosten makes this seem entirely real and possible – as though it could happen to almost anyone with no warning at all.  This is frightening, and helps to engage the reader strongly with Clare’s plight. And we need that reason to engage, because Clare isn’t the most sympathetic of characters.  She seems somewhat disassociated from her life, family and friends even before Andi locks her away.  She’s a little remote, and not a character you’ll take to immediately.  But her problem is involving, and most readers will want to know what happens to her.

I did find it a little hard to go along with how easily Clare gives up in the early stages of her captivity.  I wanted her to fight harder to get away, and it did seem that there were strategies she simply failed to try (whacking Andi over the head with a frypan, for example).  However, beyond that point, Joosten does a convincing job of showing us Clare’s collapse into apathy, and then a kind of cooperation with Andi.

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The subject matter here could lend itself to an extremely dark psychological novel. Although Joosten is most concerned with Andi and Clare’s mental states, she never goes as deep as you might expect.  Andi is kind of nutty but he knows it, and there is little sign of violence until late in the narrative.  Clare is in a difficult situation but never strongly fights back or loses it completely.  It feels a little like a movie that’s been toned down just a bit to get a lower rating.

I didn’t find the final pages of the novel entirely convincing.  The resolution was in line with the tone of a novel that never really explored the potential darkness of the situation, but it still left me feeling that, just as in the early pages, Clare’s behaviour had changed unexpectedly and without enough warning.  Many readers will find it satisfying, but for me it fell slightly short.

“Berlin Syndrome” is well written and I found I read through it without much trouble – it never felt slow or bogged down despite being relatively limited in action.  However, it wasn’t exactly an enjoyable read given the difficult subject matter, and the fact I wasn’t entirely convinced by either Clare or Andi left me feeling unsatisfied. Still, if you’re looking for something with a little more depth than a traditional thriller, this might satisfy you.  If you’re looking for a more literary read with food for thought, then again this might satisfy you.  But don’t pick it up if you’re looking for a light or cheerful read, or for something which really explores the depths to which people can sink.

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